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2017 Rivers-Marie Platt Vineyard Pinot Noir

Removed from a professional wine storage facility; Purchased direct from winery

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

95Jeb Dunnuck

...one of the more Burgundian wines in the lineup, with a Côte de Nuit-like bouquet of smoked dark fruits, earth, spice, and smoky, meaty notes. Medium to full-bodied, with plenty of fruit, it has bright acidity, terrific balance, and shines for its purity of fruit...

94Vinous / IWC

...ample, full-bodied and detailed, with beguiling intensity in all of its dimensions. Dark plum, violet, lavender and game all develop in a Pinot that stands out for its virile, rather somber expression. The purity of the fruit is remarkable. There is so much to like here...

92Robert M. Parker Jr.

...medium ruby-purple colored 2017 Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard has a nose of cinnamon stick, dusty earth, autumn leaves, charcuterie and mushroom with accents of amaro, dried tea leaves, citrus and smoke. The light to medium-bodied palate is earthy/savory with firm, chalky tannins and seamless freshness on the finish...

PRODUCER

Rivers-Marie

Rivers-Marie is a boutique producer of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon started a few years ago by by Thomas Rivers Brown, a Napa winemaker and winemaking consultant who has worked for such clients as Schrader and Turley. He and his partner Genevieve Marie Welsh work with vineyard owners to secure grapes. Their wines, produced in very small quantities, are generally available only by mailing list. In 2009 Eric Asimov of the New York Times called Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir ‘intense yet beautifully balanced, with lively acidity that makes them refreshing.”

REGION

United States, California, Sonoma County

Sonoma County is not an AVA, but it is a commonly used informal designation for wines made outside of more specific AVAs within Sonoma, which is a large wine producing region just west of Napa Valley. Though Sonoma is often overshadowed by its glamorous neighbor Napa Valley, it has a long history of wine production. The area specialized in jug wine until the mid-20th century, when Sonoma producers took a cue from Napa and started improving quality. Unlike Napa, where Cabernet Sauvignon is king, Sonoma specialized in Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel, though excellent Cabs are produced too. There are at present 16 AVAs within Sonoma County, and, like much of the West Coast of the United States, new AVAs are created in Sonoma County with regularity. Some Sonoma appellations, such as the Russian River Valley, are renowned for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

TYPE

Red Wine, Pinot Noir

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.